Diageo pulls Baileys Glide

Drinks giant Diageo is axing Baileys Glide liqueur following plummeting sales, less than two years after its £6m launch.

According to AC Nielsen figures, its sales dipped by 29 per cent in the year to mid-March, from £9.2m to £6.5m.

Glide, a low-alcohol and “long” version of Baileys Irish Cream, was the brand’s first range extension (MW December 12, 2002). Available in 200ml bottles, it was positioned as a drink for special occasions and not as a standard ready-to-drink product. It was intended to build on the success of the parent Baileys brand, which has the lion’s share – almost 60 per cent – of the cream liqueur market.

Baileys Glide is four per cent alcohol by volume, about a quarter of the strength of the core product, and has been available with added vanilla.

One industry observer says the recent entry of new, smaller drinks companies into the ready-to-drink market – such as Independent Distillers, which makes Mudshake – has dented Glide’s fortunes.

Following the launch of Glide, Diageo also brought out Baileys Minis – the products sit together on the supermarket shelves.

A Diageo spokeswoman insists that Glide has merely been on test for two years. In a statement she says: “Glide has been on test since September 2003 and was further tested in Australia and New Zealand. Overall, however, the product did not consistently meet the benchmarks required to proceed with a global roll-out.”

You should read this

Schweppes’s latest poster cam-paign breaks today (Wednesday) and will run in London for two weeks. The four-sheet advertisements, created by BMP DDB for Schweppes lemonade, mock the recent rush of alcopop products – combinations of soft drinks with alcohol – launched by all the major drinks companies.

THE BEST CONTENT

Our award winning editorial team and columnists will ask the biggest questions about the biggest issues on everything from strategy through to execution to help you navigate the fast moving modern marketing landscape.

THE BIGGEST ISSUES

From the opportunities and challenges of emerging technology to the need for greater effectiveness, from the challenge of measurement to building a marketing team fit for the future, we will be your guide.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Information, inspiration and advice from the marketing world and beyond that will help you develop as a marketer and as a leader.

Dedicated to developing your skills and helping you achieve marketing excellence. Find guidance on leadership, professional development and the latest industry jobs.